Government has encountered “a whole landslide” of improperly awarded contracts amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars that require careful scrutiny before any public money is paid to contractors, Prime Minister Keith Rowley revealed yesterday.

“The exercise of verifying what is owed by the State (to contractors) has turned up some very shocking actions on the part of public officials who have been fast and loose with public monies,” the PM added in Parliament.

Rowley detailed the information, responding to Opposition queries on recent reports about non-payment of hundreds of millions of dollars outstanding to contractors. Last Sunday’s Guardian had reported that about $2 billion was owed.

Finance Minister Colm Imbert, acknowledging the report, had said Thursday that the Government in recent months had been in the first stage of auditing contractors’ debts to determine if they genuinely deserved payment and to ensure no fraud was involved. The clear outcome is that some of the debts may not be paid, if the agreements underpinning charges for services are determined to be fraudulent.

Shocking findings

Yesterday, Rowley shed more light on that matter when questioned by the Opposition. He conceded that the administration had been somewhat “delinquent” in paying contractors on time, and would be giving more “positive responses.”

However, he said they needed to perform careful checks on the contracts.

“Hundreds of millions” owed to contractors have to be audited to ensure “we’re paying millions of dollars for work done and contracts properly executed,” the PM said.

“The matter has attracted the attention of many agencies and I can tell you the exercise of verifying what is owed by the State has turned up some very shocking actions on the part of public officials who have been fast and loose with public monies.

“However, wherever it has been determined monies are well and duly owed to contractors and others, those monies are recognised by the State and we do recognise that substantial sums are owed to contractors. As far as those sums have passed muster as I just mentioned, they are due to be paid for goods and services provided. The Finance Ministry has been and continues to ensure we can discharge our liabilities in a timely manner.”

He continued: “We concede that because of T&T’s financial situation we’ve been a little delinquent in discharging our liabilities to contractors but we want to give contractors the assurance, with the recent progress made at the Finance Ministry, much more positive responses are underway.”

Hardship for contractors

Opposition MP Fuad Khan told the PM the situation had caused some CEPEP contractors to become indebted to suppliers and they were starting to lose assets—cars, houses, etc—as they were being taken to court. He asked Rowley to look into this to see what relief could be given to them.

Rowley responded: “I’m not going to assume Finance’s responsibility, but I can say, in so far as verification has shown these monies are owed, I have every confidence the Finance Minister, within our straitened circumstances, will seek to bring relief to those who qualify for these payments.

“But I must also say, in a plethora of areas there’s a whole landslide of improperly awarded contracts amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars that require careful scrutiny before any public money is paid...and I trust that doesn’t apply to small contractors.

“...Because it should be of concern to the public, where there are contractors who could be telling T&T they are owed hundreds of millions of dollars from agencies that didn’t have any money to pay them...Because it raises immediately what kind of procurement processes were used where agencies could have contracted the State in that way, and now leave liabilities of hundreds of millions of dollars. Meaning that contractors were bankrolling the country to that tune, (so) we have to check and verify before we pay.”

Opposition MP Suruj Rambachan said non-payment had caused some projects such as bridges to be shut down and projects were being closed because contractors could not finance projects.

As the country gets set to celebrate 79 years of the labour movement in T&T tomorrow, university lecturer Dr Jerome Teelucksingh is warning labour leaders about the dangers of their involvement in politics.

Responding to questions from students about trade unionists morphing into politicians at a lecture hosted by Nalis at the Carnegie Library Reference Section, San Fernando, Teelucksingh said this was a Caribbean phenomenon.

He said not only in T&T have trade unionists, such as the father of the labour movement Tubal Uriah Buzz Butler, Basdeo Panday, George Weekes, Selwyn John, Errol Mc Leod, James Lambert, Rudy Indarsingh and Jennifer Baptiste-Primus transitioned into politics, but also in Guyana and Antigua, referring to Cheddi Jagan and Vere Bird, respectively.

Nevertheless, he said, the unions have to be very careful about their involvement in politics because that union, if it supports the Government, could be stigmatised and stereotyped and lose the image of being an independent voice.

“The unions have to cherish their independence. They have to be an independent voice, a voice for democracy and the unions must try to build patriotism in all citizens and must be seen as contributing to building an independent and strong T&T.”

He told the audience, which consisted of students from St Joseph’s Convent, St Benedict’s Secondary and Naparima Girls’ High School, as well as members of the public, that to achieve this there must be a united trade union movement.

Teelucksingh, who is attached to the Faculty of Humanities and Education at the St Augustine Campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI), said the fracturing of the unions is not a new phenomenon, reflecting on formative years when key players such as Butler and Adrian Cola Rienzi broke away from Arthur Andrew Cipriani’s Trinidad Working Men’s Association. 

Rienzi went on to form the Trinidad Citizen’s League while Butler formed the British Empire Workers and Citizens Home Rule Party. 

“In the same way labour leaders were divided at that time, it is what we have existing in 2016, when we have movements like the JTUM, FITUN and NATUC, all speaking for the working class, but on different platforms, appearing fragmented, divided.”

He said a united movement would serve T&T well but should not be limited to addressing the needs of their own members but be a voice for the voiceless, like abused children, and an advocate for the protection of the environment. 

Teelucksingh also drew a parallel between the existing social and economic issues and what occurred in the 1930s era, prior to the labour riots. 

South Western Division police made more searches throughout the forested areas off Quinam Road, Siparia, in the hope of finding missing Brazilian expatriate Odair Bezerra Lins.

Investigators said they widened the search area and used tracker dogs, but were unsuccessful in finding him. Lins, 55, an electrician with Brazilian firm, Construtora OAS, went missing on the morning of June 8 when he went to turn on an electrical pump along Mosquito Creek, South Oropouche, where work on the Solomon Hochoy Highway Extension Project has stalled. 

His silver Mazda BT-50 pick-up truck was found abandoned in a deserted area by patrolling South Western Division Task Force officers that night. There was blood on the handle and samples were sent to the Forensic Science Centre for a DNA analysis to determine whether the blood belonged to Lins. Up to yesterday, the results were still outstanding. 

Police said it is still a search and recovery mission and they are following all leads they currently have. Lins stayed in an apartment on Coney Street, Gulf View, La Romaine. There was speculation that he could have been targeted because of his company's heated pay dispute with its retrenched workforce as several other expatriates told the T&T Guardian they were previously threatened by the workers.

Last March, Construtora OAS fired 860 bi-monthly paid workers as its parent company, Grupos OAS struggled financially. Grupos OAS in Brazil filed for bankruptcy last year after its access to financing was severely restricted by a corruption investigation at Brazilian state-owned oil company, Petrobras.

There was an agreement between Construtora OAS and the workers' representative, the Oilfields Workers' Trade Union (OWTU), to have severance and outstanding payments paid to the workers before the company leaves the country at end of May. However, the workers are still waiting for payments, which resulted in several fiery protests.

Although investigators have not ruled out this theory, they said there has been no evidence to suggest that the outstanding wage dispute had anything to do with Lins' disappearance.

A Brazilian news agency quoted Lins’ wife as saying that her husband had been receiving threats. She said he used to return home every four months.

A pregnant woman admitted to being a marijuana addict when she appeared in the San Fernando Magistrates’ Court charged with possession of marijuana.

Six-months pregnant Leann Allicock, 32, a mother of one, was charged jointly with Ancil Valdez, 51, a used car parts salesman.

They appeared before Senior Magistrate Nanette Forde-John.

Allicock’s lawyer, Annalee Girwar, told the magistrate her client wished to be sent before the Drug Treatment Court.

Girwar said it was the first time Allicock was ever arrested, but having regard to her history, transferring the matter to drug court was the best approach. The magistrate granted the request.

Girwar said Allicock still had to be assessed to determine whether she would be accepted at the drug court. Allicock was granted bail for her to fill out the relevant forms and will return to court on October 21. Meanwhile, Valdez, of Penal, pleaded guilty to marijuana possession and resisting arrest. Both Valdez and Allicock were arrested on Thursday around 9.45 pm at Southern Main Road, Pointe-a-Pierre. 

PC Ganesh Ramnanan, of Southern Division Task Force, became suspicious after he saw a parked car in a poorly lit area. 

Court prosecutor Sgt Diananth Harricharan said when Ramnanan approached the car Valdez was in the drivers’ seat and Allicock was in the passenger seat.

Ramnanan ordered both of them out the car. Upon searching the car, the officer found two packets of marijuana weighing 4.4 grammes between the two front seats. 

When the officer tried to arrest Valdez he pulled his hand away in a violent manner. 

Asking for leniency, Girwar said Valdez had the marijuana for his own personal use.

She said he used it to alleviate pain caused by a stroke he suffered two years ago.

She said Valdez did not expect the officer to grab his hand so tightly and he reacted by instinct.

Valdez was ordered to pay $1,100 in fines which his brother said he would pay forthwith.

National Gas Company chairman Gerry Brooks’ monthly salary from NGC state boards has dropped from $82,500 to $69,000 and his travelling allowances have been discontinued, Finance Minister Colm Imbert said yesterday.

Brooks also resigned from the board of National Helicopter Services Ltd in April, Imbert added.

The Finance Minister revealed the cuts in Parliament replying to questions from Opposition MP David Lee.

Last month in the Senate, replying to opposition questions, Energy Minister Nicole Olivierre had confirmed that Brooks earned a monthly total of $82,500 in board fees and travelling allowances from the ten energy company boards he heads and serves on. 

Olivierre said Brooks was paid a total of $73,000 a month from board fees for the ten boards and, in addition, a total of $9,500 a month in travelling allowances.

Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar subsequently condemned the situation of multiple boards and fees, alleging Brooks was the PNM’s “Calder Hart.” 

At a May post-cabinet media briefing Imbert had promised to review the multiple positions, fees and perks. Replying to a Guardian question on this last week Friday, he’d said he was still reviewing it then.

Yesterday, replying to opposition queries, new figures emerged when Imbert detailed the list of chairs/directorships Brooks has held since September 2015 to date, and the fees.

He said Brooks earns chairmanship fees of $10,000 each from NGC, National Energy Corporation and Phoenix Gas Processors.

He also earns chairmanship fees of $6,500 each from La Brea Industrial Development Company (LABDICO), NGC-CNG, NGC Pipeline Company, TT-NGL and NGC Petrochemicals Ltd.

Imbert said Brooks earned no directorship fees from NGC Netherlands, NGC/ENP Investments (Netherlands), NGC/ENP Netherlands Co-Operative. 

He said the fees from NGC boards totalled $69,000 monthly.

Imbert noted Brooks also earned directorship fees of $4,000 and $3,200, respectively, from National Enterprises Ltd and NEL Power Holdings.

Imbert said Brooks is also on TSTT’s board as NEL’s representative with a $5,000 fee.

But Imbert said, effective May 25, Brooks asked that the travelling allowances he’d been receiving be discontinued immediately.

Asked by the Opposition Leader Persad-Bissessar if Brooks also received phone allowances, Imbert said Government was reviewing allowances.

After it was disclosed that Brooks’ monthly NGC board fees were cut from $82,500 to $69,000, Imbert—responding to queries from Opposition MP Roodal Moonilal—argued that the former FCB chairman under the PP’s tenure took home $71,000 monthly from various FCB entities. Imbert said that was the highest fee level he’d ever seen.

COST OF GHANA TRIP

On other opposition queries, Prime Minister Keith Rowley said NGC’s Brooks was among his delegation for his recent Ghana trip.

Others included Energy Adviser Ken Julien, Petrotrin chairman Andrew Jupiter, Energy Ministry Permanent Secretary Selwyn Lashley, the Ministers of Energy, Foreign Affairs and of the Attorney General’s Office, the PM’s press secretary, a photographer, a videographer, protocol officer and two security officers.

Rowley said his recent trips to the US, Ghana and the UK cost $1.9 million which, he said, represented substantial savings over the $11 million cost of a similar trip under the PP. 

He said his delegation had a “bare bones” complement and had no extended family members, “no extras, no powder puff man,” and that first class travel was allocated only to those for whom it was appropriate.

Cash payment of $309.2 million in backpay owed to police, prisons and fire service officers will be paid this month and the balance of $50.5m will be paid in July and August once all paysheets are processed and audited, Prime Minister Keith Rowley has assured.

Rowley confirmed the situation yesterday in Parliament replying to this and other Opposition questions. He said the balance of payment owed in 2017 is to be discussed.

Pressed on other matters by Opposition MPs - including Government’s position on privacy rights of citizens - Rowley said all rights under the Constitution will be protected and preserved by Government. But he stressed that rights were not absolute.

LGBTI rights

On policies to protect Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender (LGBT ) people, the PM said every citizen regardless of who he or she may be are, have the Constitution’s protection. And he said to give effect to that protection, all state agencies including the police, have a duty to protect everyone regardless of “who they sleep with not.” 

But when asked he government would outlaw buggery, he said it wasn’t on the legislative agenda.

Jamaica trip

The PM said he was going to Jamaica to better TT-Jamaica relations and indicate “brotherly love.” He accused the the former Prime Minister for breaking such bonds initially in 2010 with her remarks that “T&T isn’t an ATM” card . But he added that simmering resentment was relit recently when Jamaicans were denied entry to T&T.

Venezuela

Asked about the upcoming OAS meeting which will discuss Venezuela, he said T&T ‘s position is to “sail very close to the wind” regarding the OAS founding principles. 

At this stage, the PM said T&T has no other position but to subscribe to the view that there is duly elected President of Venezuela and isn’t interfering in its business in a way inimical to interests . Adding that Venezuela is T&T’s closest neighbour, Rowley said the choice of a Venezuelan Government is for the Venezuelan people.

Rowley added the OAS meeting hadn’t been discussed during the recent visit of the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Security and crime

Rowley declined to explain if his traditional Special Branch security details had been replaced by Special Forces soldiers. He said it was not appropriate for him to talk about the security arrangements for himself or any public official exposed to criminal elements.

He confirmed western coast guard patrols are a long term measure and reeled off a litany of Central Trinidad street names when asked to identify Central areas where joint army patrols have been instituted, “ Nearly all the streets - that indicates very good coverage,” he added.

Rowley said the Cyber crime bill will be brought to Parliament in a month following comments by media bodies. (GA)

The Police Complaints Authority (PCA) is now facing public ridicule after director David West issued a call for the independent body’s legislative powers to be increased to allow them to investigate, charge and prosecute errant police officers—effectively undermining ongoing police investigations and bypassing the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

During a public consultation in San Fernando on Wednesday, West said this was one way to restore public confidence in the Police Service and to address numerous legal and judicial delays.

Responding to West’s calls yesterday, president of the Police Service Social and Welfare Association, Insp Anand Ramesar, said, “I think David West wants to be a policeman for all intents and purposes.”

He speculated, “Maybe he wants to establish a parallel Police Service and maybe wants to be a parallel Commissioner of Police.”

Prominent attorney Larry Lalla agreed that it was unrealistic and even ventured that West was “attempting to establish a new political party.”

Not surprised by the call, Ramesar said the majority of members of the PCA’s investigative team were usually former police officers, who themselves are able to anticipate which direction to follow regarding investigations, given their former choice of profession.

He said this was often done without “recognising there is a role for a civilian oversight body when it comes to managing and monitoring the conduct of police officers.”

Ramesar declared, “It would be a most unfortunate situation if the PCA loses its power that it has under the rubric of a civilian oversight body.”

Acknowledging the push for more power by the PCA, Ramesar said there appeared to be a certain level of ignorance at play as their current remit allows them much more scope than that of police officers investigating their own colleagues.

He warned, “I think they are missing the bigger picture in terms of what is their role and relevance, and the powers that they have as a civilian oversight body. They must recognise that some of the powers they have are not available to police officers and will be lost if they get the powers of a policeman.”

Constitutional rights

Ramesar explained, “There are certain constitutional rights that are available to someone who is being investigated by a policeman with police powers, as opposed to somebody who is doing an investigation as a civilian oversight body.”

Describing it as a “lack of an appreciation for the differences between the police body and the civilian oversight body,” Ramesar said it was clear that the PCA does not fully understand the strength it possesses and how it can be applied to ensure it fulfils its mandate.

With no conflict of interest between the PCA and the Professional Standards Bureau (PSB) of the Police Service, which was formed to investigate complaints against rogue and errant officers, Ramesar said both entities had certain strengths that the other did not have.

The PSB is a police body which is limited by certain parameters, while the PCA has certain strengths not readily available to the PSB.

Under the current legislation, the PCA can call on any officer to make available to them any material including statements, documents and photos which could assist in their investigation of a particular matter, while this does not apply to the PSB.

Ramesar said, “The Professional Standards Bureau must follow hard police investigation, the rules of evidence and constitutional safeguards that are there for persons who are being investigated, whilst those things are not immediately discernible coming from the powers of the PCA.”

He added, “The PCA has a major role to play when it comes to managing police conduct and monitoring police behaviour, but I think for some reason or the other, they are not opening their eyes and seeing it, and that is unfortunate.”

Attorney: Recipe for disaster

Agreeing that it was a recipe for disaster and would generate chaos right around, attorney Larry Lalla said delays with investigations upon reaching the DPP’s Office were a reflection of the constraints they faced.

“I think that if the DPP’s Office is understaffed, then attention needs to be focused on the DPP’s Office to ensure it is staffed with the brightest prosecutors and that those prosecutors are offered proper terms and conditions so that they remain at the DPP’s Office,” Lalla said.

He added, “I think what Mr West is asking for is going to lead to an unacceptable duplication of investigation and prosecutorial resources.”

Referring to the DPP’s Office as the prosecutorial arm of the State that needed to remain independent, Lalla added, “We have to ensure that arm is properly resourced, rather than trying to create another arm to deal with prosecutions.”

Pressed to say if the PCA should remain as an independent civilian oversight body, Lalla said yes.

Standing firm that the PCA’s legislative powers should not be increased Lalla argued that if the problem at the DPP’s Office was addressed, it would remove many of the problems outlined by West in his argument for the PCA to be given more “teeth.”

Lalla was critical of the arguments voiced by West as he said, “It appears as though the director of the Police Complaints Authority is attempting to establish a political party.”

“He should leave the politicking to the politicians, and he should write Members of Parliament to raise his concerns and proposals for amendments to the law and have his concerns raised in that way. His office was not meant to be politicking all over the country,” Lalla said.

What West wants

•For the PCA to be able to arrest and charge officers who are bringing the Police Service into disrepute.

•Prosecute matters on their own to avoid delays in the laying of charges by the Police Commissioner and the DPP.

•Stop and search persons involved in ongoing PCA investigations

•Search and arrest police officers for illegal weapons

•For the director and deputy director of the PCA to be given permission to carry a firearm so they can visit crime scenes and secure weapons used

•The ability to secure narcotics as they sometimes discover drugs at scenes but are unable to take possession of them.

•The ability to access information from communications networks in order to corroborate complainants’ information

•The power to preserve a crime scene.

Despite hundreds of products labelled in different foreign languages and prominently displayed on supermarket shelves, acting Comptroller of Customs and Excise Glen Singh told parliament’s Joint Select Committee (JSC) meeting yesterday that he only remembered one incident of this type of goods entering this country, but it was “many, many years ago.”

He said this was when he was a junior officer when a shipment of sardines was labelled in Spanish and subsequently sent for testing rather than being placed on the shelves.

But Singh could give no other instances, even present ones, of goods with foreign labels coming into T&T.

“That would be based on intelligence. That is the only way which we can successfully target this,” Singh said.

The committee, chaired by Senior Counsel Sophia Chote, continued its examination of food fraud.

Asked what were the measures implemented by Customs to deal with mislabelling, Singh said documents were submitted to the division which other governmental agencies had access to including the Food and Drugs Division which would in turn give the green light or not regarding the goods.

“In the case of food, either they would exempt that transaction from their surveillance, they may say release to warehouse or release for inspection and we are guided by whatever direction they give,” Singh said.

He said if there was an instance where the goods were held for inspection Customs officers and division members would then conduct the necessary inspection.

Pressed further as to when a response would be granted by the division in case of an infraction, Singh said this may vary as it depended on what was being examined, adding that the examination could take place the same day.

Asked whether Customs had encountered any instances of tainted food entering this country and to provide such statistics Singh could give no such information, saying this would require some analysis.

Regarding how confident he was regarding the safety of the food entering the country Singh said given the volume of trade conducted by this country it was impossible to examine every container.

“We are aiming for maybe 75 to 80 per cent without examination...that is our aim. So we deliver these goods without examination. If it is that the Food and Drug Authority having viewed whatever they need to view and determine that they also don’t have an interest in it, chances are that the particular product may never be examined by Customs or the respective governmental agencies.

“The reverse is also true that we may not have an interest for examination based on our risk criteria but the respective agencies may want to examine and in such a case we leave it up to them,” Singh said.

On the competence of officers, Singh said they were effective in carrying out their respective functions.

“We are so depleted of resources but the quality of the people we have are some of the best,” Singh said, adding that measures were being put in place to fill the vacancies.

​No poultry standards

Dr Desmond Ali, executive director of the Caribbean Poultry Association, said he had actually witnessed “up the islands” 20 kilos of chicken stamped for “pet meat only” by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) which were also “over-stamped for export to the islands” and in turn being sold in various Caribbean countries.

The wings and breasts of the chicken were identified as prime cuts while the leg quarters, deemed less desirable, were destined for export.

The meat must be consumed within 180 days of slaughter.

“Right now as I speak the Americans have nearly a billion pounds of dark meat in storage that they can’t even give away so the minute it goes after 180 days the price falls through the floor because it is either going for pet meat or to a country where there are no standards and that is the problem we are facing,” Ali added.

He urged that a poultry standard, clearly identifying poultry, be implemented in this country.

This, he added, must include how the animal was being slaughtered, how the meat was being handled and sold.

Ali said the association had spent a number of years working with various stakeholders to develop regional standards which were approved by the Caribbean Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality in 2012 but to date nothing has been implemented.

He said this was due to the fact that such standards were deemed optional.

Another issue, he added, was that local authorities took too long to respond when an infraction was detected.

Robin Phillips, president of the Poultry Association of T&T, said upon approaching the expiration date the poultry price which was tabled at US 60 cents per pound drastically dropped, in some cases as low as US 18 cents.

“So when that product has exceeded the 180 days there is further discounting taking place. So it then makes that product very inexpensive.

“But after the 180 days it is deemed unfit for human consumption. In the US if it reaches 180 days and there is no export market willing to accept it where there is not the 180 days standard it is sent to the pet food industry. But if they could get a higher value instead of stamping it as pet food they would sell it to that market,” Phillips said.

He said to treat with such a matter would entail a policy decision.

The lab at the Food and Drugs Division has been nonfunctional for the past 15 years and as a result all testing has to be done at the Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (CARIRI).

Dr Mahindra Ramdeen, chief executive officer of the T&T Manufacturers’ Association, called for updated laws to be put in place.

He said in some instances there was no definition in law regarding certain products, namely, that of “flavoured water.”

This prompted Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat to say, “Water is water. Flavoured water is soft drink. Consumers are being misled and taken advantage. Bottled water is one of the biggest frauds being practised on the consumers in this country.”

In the last 15 years, the Chaguanas Magistrates’ Court has seen an almost 50 per cent increase in cases filed, leaving its staff and magistrates grappling to keep up. 

This was revealed yesterday by acting Chief Justice Allan Mendonca, during the reopening ceremony of the newly renovated Chaguanas Magistrates’ Court building in Chaguanas. 

On November 17, 2014, the courthouse was closed and operations were moved to the Tunapuna Magistrates’ Court building, where the court sat during the afternoon period. The 60-year-old Chaguanas courthouse was then completely renovated at a cost of $15 million.

The new facility includes audio digital recording in the courtrooms, a public address system, video conferencing capabilities and is completely wheelchair accessible. 

“The demand for the services of the court is not within the control of the Judiciary; this may be a matter related to a number of social, economic and demographic variables,” Mendonca said. “The statistics show, however, that there has been a significant increase in the number of matters that are filed in our courts.

“This increase in demand has been accommodated in the same three courtrooms, with the same assignment of three magistrates, the same number of clerks of the peace and staff. Given the trend in terms of demand, this does not seem to be a tenable situation for justice in this district in the next decade.”

Mendonca said outfitting courtrooms with the latest technology was the judiciary’s way of dealing with these demands. 

“The Judiciary continues to do its best to address and manage those factors that are, in fact, within its control. Among these are using new tools and technologies to manage the business of the court, equipping staff, judges, magistrates and other judicial officers to use such tools and technologies and putting into practice modern techniques of case and caseflow management and court administration.”

However, he lamented that unless the Judiciary was fully autonomous, shortcomings in the system cannot be correctly addressed. 

“One must remember that given the current rules, procedures and practices in the public service, the Judiciary cannot acquire lands, lease buildings, hire staff and undertake many other critical and essential functions that are necessary for supporting the court. That this inability continues to operate to the detriment of court users and customers is without question. That is inconsistent with internationally accepted norms of judicial independence.”

Outlining possible solutions to the issues plaguing the judicial system, Mendonca said, “All of the above have been hindered by circumstances which can be traced ultimately to our lack of control over our affairs, our development, our future, our inability to chart our own course, to implement our plans and then to be held accountable for our success and failure.”

Rosemarie Sant/Joel Julien

Three months after Sural officials visited T&T to lobby Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley to restart its Alutech aluminium downstream project, a board chaired by Prof Ken Julien has been set up to review options for the project which was originally linked to the Alutrint Smelter in La Brea.

The Energy sub-committee of Cabinet approved the appointment of government’s energy adviser Julien to head the board. Government officials are confirming that while Alutech is on the cards, the originally planned smelter is “definitely off the table and will not be restarted.”

But even as Government is set to launch into the project with Alutech, T&T and Sural (Barbados) Ltd are in a legal battle at the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida before Judge K Michael Moore.

Sural took T&T to court seeking US$56 million in damages in connection with the aluminium smelter project which was scrapped by the PP government in 2010 when it came into power. 

The last sitting was on Wednesday, when Sural asked the court for access to key evidence it said would help in its attempts to undo an arbitration tribunal’s finding in favour of T&T with respect to the cancelled smelter project. 

Last June, the International Chamber of Commerce’s (ICC) International Court of Arbitration awarded US$2.4 million in favour of T&T.

The ICC arbitration began in July 2012 and focused on T&T’s alleged obligation to buy out Sural.

On Friday, Energy Minister Nicole Olivierre confirmed that the Ken Julien-appointed board had been mandated to “review all aspects of the feasibility of the project” and while she did not elaborate, she confirmed there will be “no smelter.” Among the issues which the board would have to look at before the project moves forward is that of employment opportunities.

Olivierre did not respond to queries on how soon the project would be restarted and the cost to the Government. 

Sources said part of the deal was the request for a write-off of a US$50 million debt owed by Alutrint to Government. Asked specifically about this, Olivierre said: “I have no knowledge of that.”

High-powered team 

visited Rowley

This latest development followed the April visit to this country by a high-powered team from the Venezuelan-based Sural Company to lobby PM Rowley to restart the Alutech project.

During that visit, Sural’s president Alfredo Riviere, director of the Sural Group Edgard Romero and Alutech director Dave Bhaijoo advised the Prime Minister and his team that they had invested US$20 million in the project at the Tamana In-Tech Park in Wallerfield before the project was stopped.

The Sural officials had indicated then that they had already purchased high-tech equipment for the plant which was stored in two warehouses on the compound. They also made a presentation to the Prime Minister and his team on the production of high-quality aluminium downstream products. The Guardian had reported this exclusively. 

This newspaper learnt that there had been subsequent discussions on the restart of the project.

The initial Alutech project was linked to the Alutrint Smelter Plant which was to have been constructed at the La Brea Industrial Estate.

The smelter project, which started under the Patrick Manning PNM administration, faced major protests and heavy criticisms. Environmentalist Dr Wayne Kublalsingh, physicist Dr Peter Vine and concerned residents of La Brea had expressed concern about the pollution that would be caused by the construction of the smelter plant in Union Village. Former AG Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj and the Oilfieds Workers’ Trade Union had also joined in the march against the smelter.

What Alutech produces

Alutech produces aluminium rims and other downstream products using patented technology. Alutrint Smelter was to have produced hot metal for Alutech to make a number of downstream products, including wheel rims. Asked where the material will now come from, Olivierre said the project will require “imported ingots” for the production of the downstream products.

The Alutech centre was to be the first of its kind in the Caribbean with robots playing a key role in the manufacture of pressed aluminium coils, billets and wheel rims. 

Alutech also boasts that the technology used for the industrial production of cast aluminium products allows for minimum waste and a high degree of precision using highly calibrated and automated machinery. 

JULIEN’S ROLE IN SURAL

Julien was the head of the Natural Gas Task Force and chairman of the National Energy Corporation between 2007 and 2010, and he was the lead person in the then PNM government’s discussions; he was instrumental in performing due diligence on Sural. 

In a statement to the Parliament in May 2015, former finance minister Larry Howai said the former PNM government had spent US$75 million ($474.4 million) on the Alutrint project.

During the arbitration tribunal former attorney general Anand Ramlogan, Leroy Mayers, Colleen Murray, Adrian Bernard and expert witness David Stern (chartered accountant and partner of StoneTurn LLP, UK) appeared as witnesses for T&T.

The witnesses for Sural were Prof Ken Julien, Dr Alfredo Riviere, Renda Butler, and expert witness Christopher Stobart (UK commodities expert).

The arbitrators were Lord Collins as president (former judge of the United Kingdom Supreme Court); Charles N Brower, who was a judge in the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal at the Hague; and Ali Malek QC. 

ROWLEY WAS CONCERNED

In 2014, the then opposition leader and now Prime Minister Dr Rowley had raised concerns about a US$100 million claim in the US from Sural.

In April 2015, former attorney general Garvin Nicholas said he was awaiting the judgement in the second Sural arbitration in which Sural Barbados had sued the State for over US$700 million. 

It was quite fitting that famous sailor, adventurer and holder of this country's highest award, Harold La Borde, made his last voyage on the seas from Grenada to T&T.

His body, sealed in a casket, sailed on the 55-foot Hummingbird III for the last time with sons, Pierre and Andre.

La Borde would have celebrated his 83rd birthday yesterday. He died in Grenada last Sunday when he slipped and fell.

Dozens of family and friends showed up at the T&T Coast Guard headquarters in Staubles Bay, Chaguaramas, from as early as 7.30 am, among them his 86-year-old brother, Rudy, and his eldest nephew, 73-year-old Maldan Pantin.

According to Pantin, his grandfather, La Borde’s father, Charles Harold La Borde, worked as a typesetter at the Trinidad Guardian.

Pantin said he remembered when La Borde built his first boat when he lived at St Francois Valley Road.

“It was called Revenge. That was the first time he sailed to Grenada with it. It took him days and they thought he was lost at sea.”

Yesterday, La Borde’s widow, 83-year-old Kwailan, arrived in a Coast Guard vehicle around 8.30 am and greeted relatives while smiling and chatting.

The couple was married for 59 years. They made their maiden voyage in 1960 to England in a 26-foot vessel called the Hummingbird.

Their historic voyage around the world started on February 2, 1969, in a 40-foot ketch (sailing craft with two masts) Hummingbird II.

Alert and agile, Kwailan hugged Father Thomas Lawson and her best friend, Sister Regina, of the St Francis parish.

Spotting the Hummingbird III from a distance, a boat which her husband built and designed for his second circumnavigation of the world from 1984 to 1986, Kwailan held on to Lawson and said, “Father, look the Hummingbird there.”

Pierre captained the Hummingbird III which was accompanied by a fleet of sailboats.

The flotilla was led by a T&T Coast Guard vessel and was organised as a mark of respect for La Borde and his phenomenal sailing record in this country.

A small group including Kwailan, Lawson, Rear Admiral Richard Kelshall, and relatives received the body when the boat docked. It was then escorted from the jetty by coast guards and loaded on to a waiting hearse which took it to the funeral home, RM de Souza Memorial Chapel. At the hearse, Kwailan held back her tears.

The casket was draped with fabric and a print of the ocean at sunset.

Niece, Marcia La Borde, former communications specialist, told the media that Kwailan had been strong with good friends at her side.

“We were looking forward to him returning from his holiday in Grenada and to commemorate his birthday today (yesterday) but while it is a sad occasion, we are also happy he was able to return to his homeland on his birthday,” she said.

She added that her uncle was a “reticent individual” who did not like the public glare.

She said he was happiest when he was on his yacht out at sea and with his books.

La Borde wrote three books—An Ocean to Ourselves (1962); All Oceans Blue (1977); and Lonely Oceans South (1987).

His funeral will be held on Thursday at the St Finbar’s RC Church in Diego Martin at 10.30 am.

Neither Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley nor Labour Minister Jennifer Baptiste-Primus have been invited to attend today’s annual Labour Day march and rally in Fyzabad.

Today marks the 79th anniversary of the Butler Oilfield Riots and thousands of workers are expected to head to Charlie King Junction to unite and speak out against issues affecting them. 

Speaking with the Sunday Guardian yesterday, chief education and research officer of the Joint Trade Union Movement (JTUM) Ozzie Warwick confirmed that Rowley and Baptiste-Primus had not been invited, but said the rally was expected to be an exciting one. Warwick said they will be assessing government’s performance and dealing with the issue of retrenchment.

“At the rally, we will be assessing the performance of the Government and looking at this issue of mass retrenchment that is taking place in the current economic situation. We will be proposing a way forward from the progressive labour movement’s perspective.”

This year’s theme is—We Demand Job Security and Protection for All Workers.

Warwick said the celebrations would kick off with a marathon and walk, then wreath-laying ceremonies at the grave site of “the father” of the trade union movement Tubal Uriah “Buzz” Butler and at the gravesite of La Brea Charles, who was mistaken for Butler during the uprising. He was shot and killed in 1937. Labour Day was declared a public holiday in 1973.

Workers and their leaders will begin their “pilgrimage” around 9 am at Avocat Junction and proceed along the Fyzabad Main Road to the Charlie King Junction.

In 2010, former prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and then labour minister Errol McLeod attended celebrations. While on the platform she pledged $100,000 to the labour movement to defray costs for hosting celebrations. Last year, Persad-Bissessar attended celebrations in Couva.

JTUM declined government’s $15 million allocation in the 2016 national budget.

Attempts to reach JTUM leader Ancel Roget on his mobile since Friday were unsuccessful.

General secretary of the National Trade Union Centre (Natuc) Michael Annisette also could not be reached. (RR)

The Education Ministry is in the process of moving into the ministry’s new headquarters on St Vincent Street, Port-of-Spain.

This was disclosed by Public Administration and Communication Minister Maxie Cuffie yesterday, after he toured the Education Tower along with Udecott chairman Noel Garcia and officials of Udecott.

Cuffie said they also toured the Government Campus on Richmond Street, including the Board of Inland Revenue (BIR) and Legal Affairs towers. He said the Customs Department had moved into the campus and the Immigration Division was also moving in, but the BIR would not be able to do so since that tower is not yet ready.

He said the Education Tower will exclusively house Education divisions from various areas and activities were on target for the ministry to be fully in place within the next three months as they had projected recently.

The cost of the 16-storey structure managed by Udecott was $460 million under the Patrick Manning PNM administration. It had been completed in 2010 when the administration lost office and it remained closed for the PP government’s term. In the 2016 Public Sector Investment Programme, Udecott had estimated a further $109.4 million for outfitting the tower. 

Cuffie said the tower would not be housing any aspects of the Industrial Court which is located next to it. He said the court had its own building complex. 

Two ex-soldiers have been charged with the murder of Selwyn Gaff, who was found in the forest in Diego Martin earlier this month.

The charges came after an investigation which saw the Defence Force and T&T Police Service (TTPS) collaborating to solve the murder which took place in Covigne, Diego Martin.

Gaff was found with gunshot wounds to his torso days after he went into the forest with a group of men. 

According to reports, the men shot Gaff and left him to die. 

One of the men who was in the group later confessed to police officers who then went to the forest and found Gaff lying in some bushes, weak but alive. 

He was taken to the St James Medical Facility where he succumbed to his injuries. 

The man who made the report said that he did not do so earlier because he was afraid to speak to police.

On Monday, the Defence Force discharged both men and handed them over to the TTPS on Friday.

Police took the matter to the Director of Public Prosecutions and the men were charged .

Lt Commander Kirk Jean-Baptiste said the Defence Force cooperated and assisted in gathering a lot of the information to build the case and accompanied the police to the scene of the crime where officers gathered forensic evidence.

“There was a lot of co-operation,” he said.

Both men had been members of the Defence Force for several years. 

Since 2012, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the United States has warned of online dating scams, where people solicit photos under the guise of romantic interest, then use the images to extort money from victims.

T&T recorded its first report of such a scam last week when former PNM senator Hafeez Ali reported to the Fraud Squad that he was being blackmailed by a woman who had nude images of him.

Ali’s report was investigated by the Fraud Squad but police have not yet indicated whether charges would or could be laid against the offender.

Public Information Officer of the T&T Police Service (TTPS) Michael Pierre, in an interview yesterday, said officers were considering several options when looking at offences in Ali’s case.

However, as it is the first such report in T&T, there is no precedent to indicate what charges would be laid.

He said in cases where pornographic material was involved, the police had various offences to look at.

“What you can look at, in the event of possession and publication of pornographic material on children, there is an offence under the Children’s Act and the offender can be penalised for that.

“Regarding the adults, we can look at other offences, including under the Trafficking in Persons Act,” ASP Pierre said.

Pierre said he was aware of such activities despite a lack of reporting in T&T.

“It starts with a simple message, an introduction and a request to get to know you, and people new to social media often view it as an opportunity to create new friendships.”

While this may be the first report emanating from an online dating scam, Pierre said he was aware that locally a similar scam had been perpetrated on citizens.

“What I was told is that there are some instances you will have so-called modelling agencies which solicit photos from potential models nude or semi-nude to boost their career and use it against them subsequently.

“They ask for a photo of yourself, breast exposed, and then they blackmail you with it. Those cases have been investigated by the Police Service,” he said.

Both the FBI and law enforcement agencies in the UK have warned their citizens about these scams in the past. According to the FBI website, the Crime Complaint Center (IC3) reinforced the fact that people looking for love online need to remain vigilant about whom they choose to communicate with and how they do so. 

The website noted, “In a recently reported dating extortion scam, victims usually met someone on an online dating site and then were asked to move the conversation to a particular social networking site, where the talk often turned intimate. Victims were later sent a link to a website where those conversations were posted, along with photos, their phone numbers, and claims that they were ‘cheaters.’ In order to have that information removed, victims were told they could make a $99 payment—but there is no indication that the other side of the bargain was upheld.” 

Use international law to prosecute offenders—attorney

Attorney Lyndon Leu, in an interview with the Sunday Guardian, said police had the option of using international law to prosecute offenders, in the case that the act involved multiple jurisdictions.

“They would have to determine a source from where the material came from, in terms of an IP address; that could be done by the cyber crime unit of the Police Service.” He said once offenders were identified, they could be prosecuted under the Misuse of Computers Act. 

“The offence is being committed here, so you could have multiple jurisdictions, but the victim is here. 

“International law would apply. In any event, one of the countries should be able to get some justice.

“It’s either one country could prosecute the offender or both.”

Killed, dismembered and her body disposed of, the case of well-loved businesswoman Vindra Naipaul-Coolman, the CEO of Xtra Foods Supermarket, gripped national attention for close to a decade.

In excess of $60 million spent and ten years later, on May 30, 2016, eight of the ten men accused of her murder have walked free. Two of the other accused—Lyndon James and Earl Trimmingham—will face retrials. In the end, the trial brought no closure. The outcome left citizens upset and was described by many as a travesty of justice. 

Naipaul-Coolman’s relatives were mum about the outcome of the case which caused them and many others that she loved years of anguish and left them with emotional scars that may never be healed. 

One of the men who was freed, Anthony Gloster, has appealed for justice for the Naipaul family. He said the real perpetrators of the crime must be found and brought to justice. 

There are other unquantified costs—the cost for photo copying material, evidential documents, a complement of staff for the judge hearing the trial, payment for marshalls and security. There was also a cost involved for the 16 jurors, including the provision of meals. Twelve of them sat on the trial and there were four supplemental. 

Senior Counsels Israel Khan, Dana Seetahal and Gilbert Peterson were the main players retained by the State to prosecute. Khan was paid $1.5 million, Peterson was paid $1.2 million and Seetahal was paid $900,000. Other attorneys were also retained, taking the total close to $7 million.

One of the prosecutors, Seetahal, was murdered in 2014, and security was increased for the two other prosecutors involved in the matter.

And then there’s the cost for defence attorneys from Legal Aid, which was put at $15 million. A note penned by Justice Minister Christlyn Moore was taken to Cabinet for a special arrangement to be made to pay retainer fees to the defence attorneys. 

The note to Cabinet requested a monthly payment of $30,000 a month for the duration of the case. 

There were ten attorneys who each had instructing attorneys who were paid $20,000 dollars a month. Because Legal Aid does not have its own budget the cost was borne by the Office of the Attorney General.

Added to that, there were payments for lawyers from the Director of Public Prosecution’s (DPP) Office who assisted, DNA testing which had to be done abroad, witnesses had to be brought in from abroad, and the cost of preparation for the trial. Those costs were estimated to be in excess of $7 million.

And then there was the cost of the upkeep of the ten accused for ten years. Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi said the cost to maintain a prisoner monthly is $25,000. That comes up to a cost of at least $30 million.

So after a trial which lasted two years, the 12-member jury returned a not guilty verdict for eight of the ten accused. DPP Roger Gaspard defended the decision of his office to go to trial despite what defence attorneys said was “insufficient evidence.”

Gaspard told the media outside the Hall of Justice: “In the first place, a no-case submission would have been made in respect of this matter, not so? And the judge would have found that the case was fit and proper to be heard before the jury, not so? Well if it passed the judge at the no-case submission case what would that tell you, not that there is sufficient prima facie evidence to go before the jury, not so?”

Asked what impact this would have on other matters, the DPP responded: “We tend to learn from every case we do.”

What the prosecutors say

Both the prosecution and defence felt justice was served. Both sides described the not-guilty verdict by the jury as “a fair and just outcome.”

Lead prosecutor Israel Khan, SC, said: “The ordinary God-fearing people that sat on this jury had a reasonable doubt in the case and they acquitted.”

Khan also defended the state’s prosecution of the accused men saying “the prosecution never wins or loses. We present the case to the best of our ability and leave it for the jurors to decide.”

Peterson, meanwhile, said it was a groundbreaking trial, one which for the first time ever locally saw the use of video link from a courtroom in London from where two witnesses gave evidence. Peterson described it as “one of the most interesting cases for criminal law students in this country...it was long, complex, thorough, very involved, and anything you can think of in criminal law arose.”

Peterson said the country must see this as “no cost is too high for justice.” 

Maharaj: Cases must be done quicker, change criminal procedure

According to former attorney general Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj, SC, there needs to be a proper assessment of the Naipaul-Coolman trial.

Maharaj, who was AG when notorious crime lord Dole Chadee and his gang of eight were executed on June 3, 1999, for the 1994 murders of several members of the Baboolal family in Williamsville, said while it would be unfair to make a general assessment of the trial, he believes the whole criminal procedure is wrong and needs to be reviewed. 

Maharaj, who had put his political reputation at stake as he fought every attempt by lawyers representing Chadee and his men to have the sentence lifted, said whenever a trial lasts as long as this one did, just over two years, “it is difficult to get a conviction.” 

Maharaj said when three senior counsels are retained to prosecute a trial it immediately “gives the jury the impression that your case is bad.”

He said the length of the trial would have “put a lot of pressure on the jury to remember details and the impact of evidence.” It would also have been difficult “for a judge to remember the force of the evidence,” Maharaj said.

Maharaj said the jury was human and “they go home, they have their own lives, they have their own problems, so it’s difficult for them.” But he said he fully supports “trial by jury because they assess evidence and that has been the basis of a fair trial.”

The former AG said even if there were no jury and three judges had to hear a trial like the Naipaul- Coolman trial where the case lasts over two years, “it would still be a problem.”

He contends that “if a proper assessment is done, the result would be that cases should be done in a quicker time.”

His suggestion is that criminal trials should have a free flow of evidence. 

In the Naipaul-Coolman trial the jury was put out of the courtroom several times for voir dires to be heard. 

Maharaj said the criminal procedure should be changed.

He is suggesting that there be a case management conference before the start of criminal trials in which all objections in law are raised by attorneys and decided by the judge. 

This, he said, would clear the way so that when the trial starts “and the jury is empanelled you have a free flow of evidence which will not take two years.”

Initially, it was expected that the trial would have lasted between four and seven months, but it eventually went for over two years. 

It started in March 2014 and ended in May 2016.​

COST TO THE COUNTRY

According to an official close to the case, the cost of the trial was about 

$60 million.

UNOFFICIAL COST OF TRIAL

STATE PROSECUTORS—$7M

DEFENCE & INSTRUCTING ATTORNEYS (Legal Aid, etc)—$15M

DNA, POLICE, DPP, 

PREPARATION FOR TRIAL—$7M

COST FOR UPKEEP OF 

PRISONERS—$30M

ABOUT THE ABDUCTION

On the evening of December 19, 2006, Vindra Naipaul-Coolman was abducted outside her Lange Park home as she pulled into her driveway after a day at work. A ransom was demanded for her safe release. Some of the ransom money was paid ($122,000) but she was not freed. The mystery of what happened to the businesswoman remains unsolved as her body was never found.

Shortly after her kidnapping the public interest was piqued as three members of the Jamaat Al-Muslimen confessed to their role in the incident. They claimed Naipaul was murdered and her body dismembered.

They claimed that on the night of December 19, they were “given specific instructions’ to kidnap Naipaul-Coolman and take her to a house in La Puerta, Diego Martin. A ransom demand was to have been made which they expected would have been paid. But the kidnapping was botched when one of the kidnappers fired a shot which struck the businesswoman in the breast.

It is reported the businesswoman was raped by one of her abductors, and died two days after being kidnapped.

The country heard, during the trial, that in a state of panic the abductors decided to dismember her body. It is reported that Naipaul-Coolman’s body was cut into pieces on a pool table with a power saw, then wrapped in a cloth and taken to central Trinidad where it was disposed of.

Acting on a tip-off, police searched a pond at Depot Road, in Longdenville, for an entire week from January 16 to 20, but her body was never found. Naipaul-Coolman’s father, Naipaul Sukdeo, pleaded with the kidnappers to give information to the police to help find his daughter’s remains so that the family could get closure. It never happened. His health deteriorated and he died in November 2010, four years after his daughter was kidnapped and murdered.

During the trial the court heard that Naipaul-Coolman’s husband, Rennie Coolman, was considered a suspect by members of the Special Anti Crime Unit. Coolman, however, maintained that he played no role in his wife’s abduction and murder. He admitted, however, to paying $75,000 to a woman, who claimed to be from the Office of the DPP, for him not to be wrongfully charged and prosecuted for murder.

Video footage from a nearby business led to the arrest of four young men from Ste Madeleine on Friday for an $11,000 robbery at Ali’s Doubles.

The suspects, ages 15, 18, 21 and 22, are expected to be presented in an identification parade this weekend after they were picked up by Princes Town CID. 

Around 2 pm on Tuesday, three of the suspects walked up to three female employees of Ali’s Doubles in Craignish Village, Princes Town, and one of them allegedly whipped out a cutlass. 

The women were ordered to hand over the day’s sales, mobile phones and other money they had. The men escaped in a blue Toyota Corolla parked a short distance away.

CID officers, including Sgt Roland Ramlogan, Cpl Neil Nanan and PC Desmond Mathura, responded to the robbery and collected video footage. 

On Thursday night, the officers stopped the car which was allegedly at the crime scene in Mon Repos and took the four occupants to the Princes Town Police Station. 

However, the men said they rented the car from someone and when police met with the owner, he directed them to the driver who rented the car on Tuesday.

The officers went to Ste Madeleine and arrested the suspect, who confessed to the crime and led police to his accomplices. 

While the $11,000 was not recovered, police said some Guyanese currency was found, which belonged to one of the victims.

High Commissioner of India Gauri Shankar Gupta is inviting the public to participate in two days of yoga in celebration of International Yoga Day.

• Yoga on the Boardwalk takes place in Chaguaramas tomorrow from 6 am to 8 am.

• Yoga Fest will take place at the Divali Nagar, Chaguanas, on June 26, from 9 am onwards.

The events, which mark the second International Day of Yoga, will feature yoga enthusiasts and trainers practising the activity and sharing information.

The celebration is organised in partnership with the High Commission of India, the Government of T&T, the United Nations Organization, International Day of Yoga Committee of T&T, local yoga centres and NGOs.

Yoga is an ancient Indian science for holistic health and well-being. Its value has been recognised by modern medical sciences as well. 

In addition, yoga has also been found extremely useful in management of stress, indiscipline and criminality.

Officials of the Joint Trade Union Movement (JTUM) yesterday warned the ruling People’s National Movement (PNM) that just as the People’s Partnership regime lasted five years, it could be “easy come, easy go” for their administration.

The labour grouping expressed dissatisfaction at the way the country was being governed during Labour Day celebrations in Fyzabad yesterday, with JTUM leader Ancel Roget urging Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley to rein in errant ministers.

“Who don’t hear will feel,” he said, as he reviewed Government’s nine-month term at the annual  celebrations at Charlie King Junction.

Roget reminded trade unionists that in the run-up to the 2015 general elections, JTUM held several meetings with political parties, which led to the signing of the memorandum of understanding with the PNM. 

“Firstly, we wish state publicly that we are very unhappy with the way things are going. Clearly there is a major disconnect with some ministers and the MOU. They are operating like lords unto themselves, conveniently forgetting that there is signed MOU with their political leader now the Prime Minister,” he said.

“Thus far they continue to show disregard for the memorandum of understanding and this can only be to the detriment of the government because whilst we hold to our side of the MOU, there are certain ministers who are very disrespectful to the process as defined in the document. Their actions are even threatening the much needed industrial peace and stability, which is a major prerequisite for the country’s development, particularly in these challenging times, because if there was ever a time for collaboration, that time is now.”

Roget warned the minister that this is not a time for “over inflated egos and individual grandstanding.” He took particular issue with Finance Minister Colm Imbert, saying that the 2016 national budget and mid-year review were done without consultation. He said Imbert was disrespectful for announcing his decision to pay workers 50 per cent of outstanding back pay by June with the rest being offered in bonds.

He said while JTUM recognised the economic challenges the country faced, they condemned the fiscal measures being used, including reduction of the subsidy on diesel, the removal of zero-rated VAT items and Government’s failure to amend the Retrenchment and Severance Benefits Act. 

He said decisions by Government are affecting the poor, vulnerable and working class while the wealthy continue to get incentives to make more money. He also reminded them that the failure to address rampant crime was the undoing of the Patrick Manning and Kamla Persad-Bissessar administrations. 

The JTUM leader called for “out of the box thinking and patriotism.”  He wants Government to inject $5.7 billion into the economy next year for expansion of the food production sector, targeting small and medium farmers at the cost of $1.2 billion. 

He is also recommending new roads, bridges and other infrastructural project worth $1.5 billion, expansion of the manufacturing sector with a focus on exports valued at $1.5 billon and increasing the range of energy products at $1.5 billion. Roget called for establishment of a $2 billion industrial development fund to disburse low interest loans at rates of one to five per cent to small and medium size businesses with the capacity to generate foreign currency and promote good industrial relations.

Jail corrupt public officials
Noting that the Opposition has been criticising Government’s tenure, Roget said it was the People’s Partnership who played a big role in the country’s current economic problems. 

He said even when oil prices were high, JTUM warned the People’s Partnership that the country could not sustain extravagant spending when there were no new revenue sources. 

He said for JTUM to forget the former government’s transgressions over the last five years would be an injustice to the country and he rubbished their effort to persuade the population that they are the best alternative to the PNM. 

“The danger of this omission is that it could create a type of illusion that they may very well be seen by some as an alternative and that must never ever happen again. You see, there are those who would want us to forget what the UNC did over the last five years, even as they conveniently hold on to issues of the past many decades later,” Roget said. 

“They want us to forget about Anil Roberts and ‘Shoppin Toppin.’ They are very silent about Ramlogan and Rambachan, and they certainly want us to forget about SIS, Kallco and the multi-billion dollar contracts.”

The JTUM leader said after nine months in office, people are fed up of Government “bussing mark” on the former PP. He called for an anti corruption investigative probe of corrupt officials to bring them to justice. Only then, he said, will citizens believe Government was serious about corruption.

The workers’ benefits that labour leaders like Tubal Uriah Buzz Butler fought for in 1937 are not appreciated by today’s working class people, Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU) president general Ancel Roget said yesterday

At a wreath laying ceremony at Butler’s grave site in Fyzabad yesterday during Labour Day celebrations, Roget criticised workers for their indifference to the struggles of activists like Butler.

“One of the sad things that we continue to experience today is that most of these benefits, indeed all of these benefits that were gained through these relentless struggles, have been taken for granted by workers,” Roget said. “And certainly they have very little or no appreciation for the history of why and how these benefits came about.”

“Indeed for us to actually keep these benefits we’ve got to keep these fires of struggle burning.”

Roget said although many years have passed since trade unions first came about in T&T in 1937, the struggles of the working class remain the same.

“Very often we cannot find our way and we cannot find answers to the problems we are experiencing because we are not connecting it to the deep rooted and relentless struggles of the past,” he said.

“When one examines what occurred in the 1930’s and 1940’s, one would recognise one common thing is that we had to struggle then and we continue to struggle now. The guards would have changed but the struggle continues.”

Public relations officer of the Joint Trade Union Movement, Vincent Cabrera, took the opportunity to call on T&T Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) president Devanand Sinanan to try to include labour day history in the school curriculum.

“I want to speak on behalf of the Joint Trade Union Movement (JTUM) to admonish those who know what they have to do and are not doing it—that is who I want to admonish,” Cabrera said.

“How many schools do anything to teach about our labour history and more so, doing anything about teaching about Tubal Uriah Buzz Butler. How many schools?

“And it is past tragic but it is a sign that our authorities want our children to grow up in ignorance!” he said.